JP6581880B2 - Connection state confirmation method, fuel cell system, fuel cell device, and monitoring device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a connection state confirmation method, a fuel cell system, a fuel cell device, and a monitoring device.

  Fuel cells, particularly solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC), have high power generation efficiency and are attracting much attention. Here, since the SOFC becomes very hot during power generation, device monitoring by a monitor is very important. The SOFC may be connected to a plurality of units in order to ensure output. In this case, a monitor corresponding to each SOFC is provided so that the monitoring target is not confused. The monitor, for example, monitors the operating status of the corresponding SOFC, thereby notifying the abnormality before the SOFC is damaged or stopping it safely (for example, see Patent Document 1).

JP 2002-8702 A

  However, even if there is no abnormality in the SOFC itself, an abnormality may occur in communication between the monitor and the SOFC. In this case, since there is no means for detecting the SOFC abnormality, if the SOFC abnormality actually occurs, the SOFC may be damaged. In order to prevent this, it is conceivable that the SOFC in which an abnormality has occurred in communication with the monitor automatically stops in an emergency. However, if the SOFC is stopped urgently, there are disadvantages such as shortening the life of the cell stack.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described points, and it is possible to continue monitoring the operating state of the fuel cell even when a communication abnormality with the monitor occurs, and to improve the reliability of the connection state checking method and fuel An object is to provide a battery system, a fuel cell device, and a monitoring device.

In order to solve the above-described problem, a connection state confirmation method according to an embodiment of the present invention includes:
A connection state confirmation method for confirming a connection state between the control unit and the monitoring unit in a fuel cell system in which a plurality of fuel cell devices including a fuel cell, a control unit, and a monitoring unit are connected to each other and connected and operated. And
A first step of setting one of the plurality of fuel cell devices as a parent device and setting a fuel cell device other than the parent device as a child device;
A confirmation signal for confirming a connection state between the monitoring unit of the child device and the control unit of the child device is transmitted from the monitoring unit of the parent device to the monitoring unit of the child device at a predetermined timing. The second step;
And a third step of transmitting a response signal to the confirmation signal from the monitoring unit of the child device to the monitoring unit of the parent device.

In order to solve the above-described problem, a fuel cell system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes:
A fuel cell system in which a plurality of fuel cell devices including a fuel cell, a control unit, and a monitoring unit are connected to each other and connected to each other,
The control unit sets one of the plurality of fuel cell devices as a parent device, sets a fuel cell device other than the parent device as a child device,
The monitoring unit of the parent device transmits a confirmation signal for confirming a connection state between the monitoring unit of the child device and the control unit of the child device to the monitoring unit of the child device at a predetermined timing. And
The monitoring unit of the child device transmits a response signal to the confirmation signal to the monitoring unit of the parent device.

In order to solve the above problems, a fuel cell device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes:
A fuel cell device that includes a fuel cell, a control unit, and a monitoring unit, and is connected to another fuel cell device for operation.
The control unit sets one of the fuel cell devices to be connected and operated as a parent device, sets a fuel cell device other than the parent device as a child device,
The monitoring unit of the parent device transmits a confirmation signal for confirming a connection state between the monitoring unit of the child device and the control unit of the child device to the monitoring unit of the child device at a predetermined timing. And
The monitoring unit of the child device transmits a response signal to the confirmation signal to the monitoring unit of the parent device.

Moreover, in order to solve the said subject, the monitoring apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention,
A monitoring device connected to a fuel cell device connected to another fuel cell device and connected to the fuel cell device,
One of the fuel cell devices to be connected and operated is set as a parent device, and a fuel cell device other than the parent device is set as a child device,
The monitoring device connected to the parent device transmits a confirmation signal for confirming a connection state between the child device and the monitoring device connected to the child device at a predetermined timing,
The monitoring device connected to the child device transmits a response signal to the confirmation signal to the monitoring device connected to the parent device.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to continue monitoring the operating state of the fuel cell even when communication abnormality with the monitor occurs, and to improve the reliability.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the fuel cell system which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a sequence diagram of the operation | movement performed between a 1st monitoring part and a 1st control part. It is a sequence diagram of the operation | movement performed between a 1st monitoring part and a 1st control part. It is a sequence diagram which shows the operation | movement in the connection driving | operation of a fuel cell apparatus. It is a sequence diagram which shows operation | movement when the communication abnormality between the monitoring part of a child apparatus and a control part generate | occur | produces. It is a sequence diagram which shows operation | movement when the communication abnormality between the monitoring part of a parent apparatus and a control part generate | occur | produces.

(Embodiment)
Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[System configuration]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a fuel cell system 1 according to an embodiment. The fuel cell system 1 includes a first fuel cell device 10, a second fuel cell device 20, and a third fuel cell device 30.

  The first fuel cell device 10 monitors the operating state of the first cell stack 11 through the first cell stack 11 that generates power, the first control unit 12 that controls the first cell stack 11, and the first control unit 12. A first monitoring unit 13. In FIG. 1, the monitoring unit is provided to be included in the fuel cell device, but may be provided outside the fuel cell device as a separate monitoring device. Further, since the fuel cell device is generally installed outdoors, the indoor monitoring unit is provided outside the fuel cell device, and the outdoor maintenance monitoring unit is included in the fuel cell device. May be. Furthermore, both of them may be provided.

  Similarly, the second fuel cell device 20 includes a second cell stack 21, a second control unit 22, and a second monitoring unit 23. Similarly, the third fuel cell device 30 includes a third cell stack 31, a third control unit 32, and a third monitoring unit 33.

  The first cell stack 11 is a fuel cell, for example, a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), but is not limited thereto. The same applies to the second cell stack 21 and the third cell stack 31.

  The first control unit 12 controls the operation state of the first cell stack 11. For example, the operation / stop state of the first cell stack 11 is switched, or the generated power in the operation state is controlled. The same applies to the second control unit 22 and the third control unit 32. Moreover, the 1st control part 12, the 2nd control part 22, and the 3rd control part 32 are mutually connected.

  The first monitoring unit 13 acquires the state of the first cell stack 11 from the first control unit 12. For example, when the first monitoring unit 13 detects that an abnormality has occurred in the first cell stack 11 according to the state of the first cell stack 11, the first monitoring unit 13 sets the first cell stack 11 to the first control unit 12. You can give instructions to stop. In this case, an instruction to make an emergency stop may be given, or an instruction to make a normal stop may be given. The same applies to the second monitoring unit 23 and the third monitoring unit 33.

  The first fuel cell device 10, the second fuel cell device 20, and the third fuel cell device 30 are connected to the server 40 via the first monitoring unit 13, the second monitoring unit 23, and the third monitoring unit 33, respectively. The

  The server 40 communicates with the monitoring unit of each fuel cell device, and acquires information on each fuel cell device. The server 40 may be an O & M (Operation & Maintenance) server that gives instructions to the operation of each fuel cell device or arranges maintenance of each fuel cell device.

[Communication operation between the monitoring unit and the control unit]
Hereinafter, the operation of each unit having the above-described configuration will be described using a sequence diagram. FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram of operations performed between the first monitoring unit 13 and the first control unit 12 of the first fuel cell device 10. FIG. 2A shows a case where communication between the first monitoring unit 13 and the first control unit 12 is normally performed without time-out. FIG. 2B shows a case where communication between the first monitoring unit 13 and the first control unit 12 times out.

  In FIG. 2A, the first monitoring unit 13 transmits an information acquisition request to the first control unit 12 (step S21). Subsequently, the first monitoring unit 13 enters a response waiting state (step S22). When acquiring the information acquisition request from the first monitoring unit 13, the first control unit 12 generates information including the state of the first cell stack 11 (step S23). Subsequently, the first control unit 12 transmits the generated information to the first monitoring unit 13 (step 24). The first monitoring unit 13 determines that the information has been successfully acquired when the information can be acquired while waiting for a response in step S22 (when the time-out has not occurred).

  On the other hand, in FIG. 2B, the first control unit 12 generates information including the state of the first cell stack 11 as in the case of FIG. 2A (step S23). However, in FIG. 2 (b), the information generated by the first control unit 12 is transmitted to the first monitoring unit 13 (step S24), the timing is later than in the case of FIG. 2 (a), and the first monitoring unit 13 The period of waiting for a response (step S22) has passed. In this case, the first monitoring unit 13 determines that information cannot be normally acquired due to a timeout (step S25).

  FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram of operations performed between the first monitoring unit 13 and the first control unit 12 of the first fuel cell device 10 as in FIG. 2, but the first monitoring unit 13 and the first control unit. 12 shows a case where communication with 12 is interrupted from the middle.

  In FIG. 3, steps S21 to S24 are the same as those in FIG. 2A and will not be described. However, communication between the first monitoring unit 13 and the first control unit 12 is normally performed at this time. Has been done. Then, the 1st monitoring part 13 transmits an information acquisition request with respect to the 1st control part 12 similarly to step S21 (step S31). Subsequently, the first monitoring unit 13 enters a response waiting state (step S32). However, communication between the first monitoring unit 13 and the first control unit 12 is interrupted at this time, and the first control unit 12 cannot acquire an information acquisition request (step S33).

  When the first control unit 12 cannot acquire the information acquisition request, the first control unit 12 does not generate information and enters a request waiting state waiting for the information acquisition request (step S34). On the other hand, since the first monitoring unit 13 cannot acquire information while waiting for a response in step S32, the first monitoring unit 13 determines that the information cannot be normally acquired due to timeout (step S35).

  Subsequently, the first monitoring unit 13 retries transmission of an information acquisition request to the first control unit 12. FIG. 3 shows the n-th retry operation, and the first monitoring unit 13 transmits an information acquisition request to the first control unit 12 (step S31n). Subsequently, the first monitoring unit 13 enters a response waiting state (step S32n). The first control unit 12 cannot acquire the information acquisition request (step S33n), and continues to wait for the request (step S34). On the other hand, the first monitoring unit 13 determines that information could not be acquired normally due to timeout because it cannot acquire information while waiting for a response in step S32n (step S35n).

  Finally, the first control unit 12 determines that the request cannot be normally acquired due to a timeout after the request waiting state (step S34) continues for a predetermined period or a predetermined number of times (step S36). In this case, the first control unit 12 determines that communication with the first monitoring unit 13 has been interrupted.

[Linked operation]
Next, a case where a plurality of fuel cell devices are connected and operated will be described. When a plurality of fuel cell devices are connected and operated, one of the fuel cell devices is set as a parent device, and a fuel cell device other than the parent device is set as a child device. The setting of the parent device or the child device may be performed from the server 40 via the monitoring unit of each fuel cell device, or may be performed by communication between the control units of each fuel cell device.

  When a plurality of fuel cell devices are connected and operated, one of the fuel cell devices sets another fuel cell device connected to the fuel cell device as a parent device or a child device. Also good.

  The control unit of the parent device transmits a control instruction including the output of the fuel cell of the child device to the control unit of the child device. The control unit of the child device controls the fuel cell of the child device based on the control instruction acquired from the control unit of the parent device.

  FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing an operation in the connecting operation of the first fuel cell device 10, the second fuel cell device 20, and the third fuel cell device 30. In the fuel cell system 1 according to the present embodiment, the first fuel cell device 10 is set as a parent device, and the second fuel cell device 20 and the third fuel cell device 30 are set as child devices.

  Even during the linked operation, each fuel cell device performs the operation as shown in FIG. 2 between the monitoring unit and the control unit, regardless of whether it is a parent device or a child device. These operations are shown as steps S41 to S44 in FIG. 4, between the first monitoring unit 13 and the first control unit 12, between the second monitoring unit 23 and the second control unit 22, and This is performed between the third monitoring unit 33 and the third control unit 32. Since the operations in steps S41 to S44 correspond to the operations in steps S21 to S24 in FIG. 2, description thereof will be omitted.

  On the other hand, during the linked operation, the control unit of the parent device needs to transmit a control instruction to the control unit of the child device, so presence confirmation is performed from the parent device to the child device. Here, the presence check for the child device is an operation for checking whether the communication between the monitoring unit and the control unit of the child device is normal, that is, the connection state between the monitoring unit and the control unit of the child device. It is. The method of executing this operation can be said to be a connection state confirmation method.

  In the present embodiment, the first monitoring unit 13 of the first fuel cell device 10 set as the parent device performs presence confirmation on the second monitoring unit 23 of the second fuel cell device 20 set as the child device. Is called. Here, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the first monitoring unit 13 and the second monitoring unit 23 are not directly connected, but are connected via the server 40. Therefore, presence confirmation from the first monitoring unit 13 to the second monitoring unit 23 is performed via the server 40. Hereinafter, this operation will be described.

  First, the first monitoring unit 13 transmits a confirmation signal for the second monitoring unit 23 to the server 40 (step S45a). Subsequently, the first monitoring unit 13 enters a response waiting state (step S46a). The server 40 performs processing for transmitting the confirmation signal acquired from the first monitoring unit 13 to the second monitoring unit 23 (step S45b), and transmits a confirmation signal for confirming the existence to the second monitoring unit 23. (Step S45c).

  The second monitoring unit 23 generates a response signal indicating whether or not the second fuel cell device 20 is operating normally according to the confirmation signal acquired from the server 40 (step S47a). For example, in the operations of steps S41 to S44, when the information from the second control unit 22 can be acquired during the response waiting step S42 of the second monitoring unit 23, the second monitoring unit 23 A response signal indicating that communication with the terminal 22 is normal is generated. On the other hand, when it is determined that the communication between the second monitoring unit 23 and the second control unit 22 has been interrupted by the operations in steps S41 to S44, the second monitoring unit 23 communicates with the second control unit 22. A response signal indicating that the communication between the two is not normal is generated.

  Subsequently, the second monitoring unit 23 transmits a response signal to the server 40 (step S48a). The server 40 performs processing for transmitting the response signal acquired from the second monitoring unit 23 to the first monitoring unit 13 (step S48b), and transmits the response signal to the first monitoring unit 13 (step S48c). .

  The first monitoring unit 13 is a case where the response signal from the second monitoring unit 23 can be acquired while waiting for a response in step S46a (when the time-out has not occurred), and the second control unit 22 adds to the acquired response signal. If the information indicating that the communication with the second fuel cell device is normal is included, it is determined that the second fuel cell device 20 is operating normally. On the other hand, when the information which shows that the communication between the 1st monitoring parts 13 and the 2nd control part 22 is not normal is contained in the acquired response signal, the 2nd monitoring part 23 and the 2nd control part 22 It is determined that some kind of abnormality has occurred in the communication. In addition, the first monitoring unit 13 also receives the response signal from the second monitoring unit 23 while waiting for the response in step S46a (when timed out), and the second monitoring unit 23, the second control unit 22, It is determined that some kind of abnormality has occurred in the communication between the two.

  The operation of existence confirmation from the first monitoring unit 13 to the second monitoring unit 23 has been described above, but the operation of existence confirmation from the first monitoring unit 13 to the third monitoring unit 33 is performed in the same manner. 4, steps S45d to S45f for transmitting a confirmation signal from the first monitoring unit 13 to the third monitoring unit 33 correspond to steps S45a to S45c, and step S46d for the first monitoring unit 13 to wait for a response corresponds to step S46a. . Similarly, step S47d in which the third monitoring unit 33 generates a response signal, and steps S48d to S48f in which the third monitoring unit 33 transmits the response signal to the first monitoring unit 13, respectively, steps S47a and S48a. Corresponds to .about.S48c.

  The presence confirmation operation is performed at a predetermined timing. For example, it may be performed periodically or according to a predetermined schedule.

[Operation when communication is interrupted]
When communication between the monitoring unit and the control unit is interrupted, it becomes impossible to monitor the abnormality of the fuel cell. About the operation | movement in such a case, after showing a comparative example, the operation | movement in this embodiment is demonstrated.

<Operation in Comparative Example>
When it is determined that the communication between the first control unit 12 and the first monitoring unit 13 is interrupted when the first fuel cell device 10 is operating independently without being connected to another fuel cell device, The control unit 12 makes the first cell stack 11 stop urgently. The reason for doing this is that even if an abnormality occurs in the first cell stack 11, the first monitoring unit 13 cannot detect it, and a failure to stop in advance is avoided so that a stop instruction from the first monitoring unit 13 cannot be obtained. Based on the idea of safe.

  Even when the first fuel cell device 10 is connected to another fuel cell device, in the comparative example, it is determined that the communication between the first control unit 12 and the first monitoring unit 13 has been interrupted. If this happens, the first control unit 12 makes the first cell stack 11 stop urgently. The reason for this is based on the idea of fail-safe as in the case of single operation. However, since the life of a cell stack that has been urgently stopped is significantly shortened, it is better not to urgently stop if possible. The reason why it is determined that the communication between the first monitoring unit 13 and the first control unit 12 has been interrupted is not an abnormality that has occurred in the first cell stack 11 or the first control unit 12, but an abnormality that has occurred in the communication cable. If this is the case, the emergency stop is unnecessary and the loss is great.

<Operation in this embodiment>
In contrast to the comparative example, in the present embodiment, the control unit does not need to urgently stop the cell stack only on the condition that the communication between the monitoring unit and the control unit is interrupted. Hereinafter, a case where communication between the monitoring unit and the control unit is interrupted in the child device and a case where communication between the monitoring unit and the control unit is interrupted in the parent device will be described.

<< Communication disruption in child device >>
FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram illustrating an operation when an abnormality occurs in communication between the second monitoring unit 23 and the second control unit 22 of the second fuel cell device 20 that is a child device.

  First, the first monitoring unit 13 transmits a confirmation signal for the second monitoring unit 23 to the server 40 (step S45a). Subsequently, the first monitoring unit 13 enters a response waiting state (step S46a). The server 40 performs processing for transmitting the confirmation signal acquired from the first monitoring unit 13 to the second monitoring unit 23 (step S45b), and transmits a confirmation signal for confirming the existence to the second monitoring unit 23. (Step S45c).

  The second monitoring unit 23 generates a response signal indicating whether or not the second fuel cell device 20 is operating normally according to the confirmation signal acquired from the server 40 (step S47a). Here, since the case where abnormality has occurred in communication between the second monitoring unit 23 and the second control unit 22 is described, the second monitoring unit 23 cannot generate a response signal in the first place. Shall. However, the operation when a communication abnormality occurs is not limited to this, and the second monitoring unit 23 may generate a response signal indicating that communication with the second control unit 22 is not normal.

  When the second monitoring unit 23 cannot generate the response signal, the second monitoring unit 23 cannot execute step S48a for transmitting the response signal to the server 40. If it does so, the 1st monitoring part 13 cannot acquire the response signal from the 2nd monitoring part 23. FIG. In FIG. 5, when there is no response during step S46a waiting for a response and it is determined that a timeout has occurred (step S51), the first monitoring unit 13 performs communication between the second monitoring unit 23 and the second control unit 22. It is determined that an abnormality has occurred.

  If the second monitoring unit 23 transmits a response signal indicating that communication between the second monitoring unit 23 and the second control unit 22 is not normal, the first monitoring unit 13 has acquired the response signal. At the time, it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in communication between the second monitoring unit 23 and the second control unit 22.

  When the first monitoring unit 13 determines that an abnormality has occurred in communication between the second monitoring unit 23 and the second control unit 22, the first monitoring unit 13 tries to acquire information from the second control unit 22. Specifically, the 1st monitoring part 13 transmits the information acquisition request with respect to the 2nd control part 22 to the 1st control part 12 (step S52a), and will be in a response waiting state after that (step S53). The first control unit 12 processes the information acquisition request acquired from the first monitoring unit 13 (step S52b) and transmits it to the second control unit 22 (step S52c).

  When the second control unit 22 acquires an information acquisition request from the first monitoring unit 13 via the first control unit 12, even if communication with the second monitoring unit 23 is interrupted, the second cell The stack 21 should not be urgently stopped. Unlike the comparative example, the reason for doing this is that the first monitoring unit 13 tentatively acquires and monitors the information of the second control unit 22 instead of the second monitoring unit 23.

  Subsequently, the second control unit 22 generates information corresponding to the information acquisition request acquired from the first control unit 12 (step S54), and transmits the information to the first control unit 12 (step S55a). The 1st control part 12 processes the information acquired from the 2nd control part 22 (Step S55b), and transmits to the 1st monitoring part 13 (Step S55c). The first monitoring unit 13 determines that the information has been successfully acquired when the information can be acquired while waiting for a response in step S53 (when the timeout has not occurred).

  The first monitoring unit 13 tentatively acquires and monitors information from the second control unit 22 instead of the second monitoring unit 23, but on the other hand, information for prompting maintenance on the second fuel cell device 20 Also send. In FIG. 5, the first monitoring unit 13 transmits information indicating that the communication between the second monitoring unit 23 and the second control unit 22 is not normal to the server 40 (step S56), and then waits for a response. (Step S57). The server 40 processes the information acquired from the first monitoring unit 13 (step S58), and transmits a response to the first monitoring unit 13 (step S59). When the first monitoring unit 13 can acquire information while waiting for a response in step S57 (when it does not time out), the communication between the second monitoring unit 23 and the second control unit 22 is not normal. It is determined that the server 40 has successfully notified the server 40 of the information. When the server 40 acquires information indicating that the communication between the second monitoring unit 23 and the second control unit 22 is not normal, the server 40 arranges maintenance for the second fuel cell device 20.

  The first monitoring unit 13 may notify the user of the fuel cell system 1 or the maintenance worker by a screen display or an alarm sound in order to urge maintenance on the second fuel cell device 20.

  If the first monitoring unit 13 does not perform maintenance even after a predetermined period of time has passed since the maintenance of the second fuel cell device 20 is urged, the first monitoring unit 13 notifies the second control unit 22 via the first control unit 12. An instruction to normally stop the second cell stack 21 may be transmitted. In this way, an emergency stop that damages the cell stack can be avoided.

  In addition, when the first monitoring unit 13 detects that an abnormality has occurred in the second cell stack 21 via the second control unit 22 and the first control unit 12, the first monitoring unit 13 instructs the second cell stack 21 to stop. Send. This instruction is transmitted from the first monitoring unit 13 to the second control unit 22 via the first control unit 12, and the second control unit 22 that has acquired the instruction causes the second cell stack 21 to stop urgently.

<< Communication disruption at parent device >>
FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing an operation when an abnormality occurs in communication between the first monitoring unit 13 and the first control unit 12 of the first fuel cell device 10 that is the parent device.

  When the parent device confirms the presence of the child device, first, the first monitoring unit 13 transmits a confirmation signal for the second monitoring unit 23 to the server 40 (step S45a). However, here, since an abnormality has occurred in communication between the first monitoring unit 13 and the first control unit 12, the first monitoring unit 13 sends a confirmation signal to the second monitoring unit 23 to the server 40 in the first place. It is assumed that step S45a to be transmitted cannot be executed. However, the operation when a communication abnormality occurs is not limited to this, and the first monitoring unit 13 may generate a confirmation signal including information indicating that communication with the first control unit 12 is not normal. In FIG. 6, since the 1st monitoring part 13 shall not transmit a confirmation signal, transmission of the confirmation signal with respect to the 2nd monitoring part 23 from the 1st monitoring part 13 by step S45a-S45c is not performed.

  On the other hand, the second monitoring unit 23 waits for acquisition of a confirmation signal from the first monitoring unit 13 (step S61). However, if the confirmation signal cannot be acquired during the predetermined time or the predetermined number of acquisition waits, the second monitoring unit 23 determines that the acquisition of the confirmation signal from the first monitoring unit 13 has timed out (step S62). In this case, the second monitoring unit 23 determines that an abnormality has occurred in communication between the first monitoring unit 13 and the first control unit 12.

  If the first monitoring unit 13 transmits a confirmation signal including information indicating that the communication between the first monitoring unit 13 and the first control unit 12 is not normal, the second monitoring unit 23 receives the confirmation signal. Is acquired, it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the communication between the first monitoring unit 13 and the first control unit 12.

  If the second monitoring unit 23 determines that an abnormality has occurred in communication between the first monitoring unit 13 and the first control unit 12, the second monitoring unit 23 tries to acquire information from the first control unit 12. Specifically, the 2nd monitoring part 23 transmits the information acquisition request with respect to the 1st control part 12 to the 2nd control part 22 (step S63a), and will be in a response waiting state after that (step S64). The second control unit 22 processes the information acquisition request acquired from the second monitoring unit 23 (step S63b) and transmits it to the first control unit 12 (step S63c).

  When the first control unit 12 acquires an information acquisition request from the second monitoring unit 23 via the second control unit 22, even if communication with the first monitoring unit 13 is interrupted, the first cell The stack 11 should not be brought to an emergency stop. The reason for doing this unlike the comparative example is that the second monitoring unit 23 tentatively acquires and monitors the information of the first control unit 12 instead of the first monitoring unit 13.

  Subsequently, the first control unit 12 generates information according to the information acquisition request acquired from the second control unit 22 (step S65), and transmits the information to the second control unit 22 (step S66a). The 2nd control part 22 processes the information acquired from the 1st control part 12 (step S66b), and transmits to the 2nd monitoring part 23 (step S66c). The second monitoring unit 23 determines that the information has been successfully acquired when the information can be acquired during the response waiting in step S64 (when the time-out has not occurred).

  The second monitoring unit 23 tentatively acquires and monitors information from the first control unit 12 instead of the first monitoring unit 13. On the other hand, the second monitoring unit 23 transmits information for prompting maintenance to the first monitoring unit 13. Also do. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the second monitoring unit 23 transmits information indicating that the communication between the first monitoring unit 13 and the first control unit 12 is not normal to the server 40. Also good. Further, the second monitoring unit 23 may notify the user of the fuel cell system 1 or the maintenance worker by a screen display or an alarm sound in order to promote maintenance on the first fuel cell device 10.

  In addition, when the second monitoring unit 23 urges maintenance on the first fuel cell device 10 and maintenance is not performed even after a predetermined time has elapsed, the second monitoring unit 23 notifies the first control unit 12 via the second control unit 22. An instruction to normally stop the first cell stack 11 may be transmitted. In this way, an emergency stop that damages the cell stack can be avoided.

  In addition, when the second monitoring unit 23 detects that an abnormality has occurred in the first cell stack 11 via the first control unit 12 and the second control unit 22, the second monitoring unit 23 instructs the first cell stack 11 to stop. Send. This instruction is transmitted from the second monitoring unit 23 to the first control unit 12 via the second control unit 22, and the first control unit 12 that has acquired the instruction causes the first cell stack 11 to stop urgently.

  The second monitoring unit 23 may transmit a request to change the parent device to the server 40. The second monitoring unit 23 may transmit a request to change the parent device from the second control unit 22 to the first control unit 12 and the third control unit 32. In this way, the linked operation can be maintained.

  The operation when the communication interruption in the child device and the communication interruption in the parent device occur has been described above. By the operation described above, even if a communication abnormality occurs between the monitoring unit and the control unit, the operation status of the fuel cell can be continuously monitored, and the reliability can be improved.

  Only one or both of the operation when the communication interruption occurs in the child device and the operation when the communication interruption occurs in the parent device may be executed.

(Modification)
In the present embodiment, the fuel cell device is connected to the server 40, but a configuration in which the monitoring units are directly connected to each other without using the server 40 may be employed. In this case, the operations in steps S45a to S45c in the presence confirmation operation described with reference to FIG. 4 are replaced with an operation of directly transmitting a confirmation signal from the first monitoring unit 13 to the second monitoring unit 23. The same applies to the operation of transmitting a response signal from the second monitoring unit 23 to the first monitoring unit 13. By doing in this way, the structure for confirming the connection state between a monitoring part and a control part from the monitoring part of another fuel cell apparatus can be simplified more.

  Although the present invention has been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art can easily make various modifications and corrections based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these variations and modifications are included in the scope of the present invention. For example, the functions included in each component, each step, etc. can be rearranged so that there is no logical contradiction, and multiple components, steps, etc. can be combined or divided into one It is. Further, although the present invention has been described centering on an apparatus, the present invention can also be realized as a method including steps executed by each component of the apparatus. Further, although the present invention has been described mainly with respect to the apparatus, the present invention can also be realized as a method, a program executed by a processor included in the apparatus, or a storage medium storing the program, and is within the scope of the present invention. It should be understood that these are also included.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Fuel cell system 10 1st fuel cell apparatus 11 1st cell stack 12 1st control part 13 1st monitoring part 20 2nd fuel cell apparatus 21 2nd cell stack 22 2nd control part 23 2nd monitoring part 30 3rd fuel Battery device 31 Third cell stack 32 Third control unit 33 Third monitoring unit 40 Server

Claims (9)

A connection state confirmation method for confirming a connection state between the control unit and the monitoring unit in a fuel cell system in which a plurality of fuel cell devices including a fuel cell, a control unit, and a monitoring unit are connected to each other and connected and operated. And
A first step of setting one of the plurality of fuel cell devices as a parent device and setting a fuel cell device other than the parent device as a child device;
A confirmation signal for confirming a connection state between the monitoring unit of the child device and the control unit of the child device is transmitted from the monitoring unit of the parent device to the monitoring unit of the child device at a predetermined timing. The second step;
And a third step of transmitting a response signal to the confirmation signal from the monitoring unit of the child device to the monitoring unit of the parent device.   2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a fourth step in which when the monitoring unit of the parent device cannot acquire the response signal, the monitoring unit of the parent device acquires and monitors the state of the fuel cell of the child device. How to check the connection status.   3. The connection state according to claim 2, wherein, in the fourth step, the monitoring unit of the parent device transmits an instruction to stop the fuel cell of the child device according to the state of the fuel cell of the child device. Confirmation method.   The monitoring unit of the child device further includes a fifth step in which the monitoring unit of the child device acquires and monitors the state of the fuel cell of the parent device when the confirmation signal cannot be acquired. The connection state confirmation method according to any one of the above.   5. The connection state according to claim 4, wherein, in the fifth step, the monitoring unit of the child device transmits an instruction to stop the fuel cell of the parent device according to the state of the fuel cell of the parent device. Confirmation method.   6. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, further comprising a server connected to the plurality of fuel cell devices, further including a sixth step of transmitting the connection state to the server. How to check the connection status. A fuel cell system in which a plurality of fuel cell devices including a fuel cell, a control unit, and a monitoring unit are connected to each other and connected to each other,
The control unit sets one of the plurality of fuel cell devices as a parent device, sets a fuel cell device other than the parent device as a child device,
The monitoring unit of the parent device transmits a confirmation signal for confirming a connection state between the monitoring unit of the child device and the control unit of the child device to the monitoring unit of the child device at a predetermined timing. And
The monitoring unit of the child device transmits a response signal to the confirmation signal to the monitoring unit of the parent device. A fuel cell device that includes a fuel cell, a control unit, and a monitoring unit, and is connected to another fuel cell device for operation.
The control unit sets one of the fuel cell devices to be connected and operated as a parent device, sets a fuel cell device other than the parent device as a child device,
The monitoring unit of the parent device transmits a confirmation signal for confirming a connection state between the monitoring unit of the child device and the control unit of the child device to the monitoring unit of the child device at a predetermined timing. And
The monitoring unit of the child device transmits a response signal to the confirmation signal to the monitoring unit of the parent device. A monitoring device connected to a fuel cell device connected to another fuel cell device and connected to the fuel cell device,
One of the fuel cell devices to be connected and operated is set as a parent device, and a fuel cell device other than the parent device is set as a child device,
The monitoring device connected to the parent device transmits a confirmation signal for confirming a connection state between the child device and the monitoring device connected to the child device at a predetermined timing,
The monitoring device connected to the child device transmits a response signal to the confirmation signal to the monitoring device connected to the parent device.

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